Creamy Mushroom Carbonara

This dish tastes so luxurious, no one will believe you knocked it up in less than 30 mins. It’s perfect for a date night or dinner party and needs no accompaniments other than a glass of cold white wine and a few slices of garlic bread each. (Try my recipe for No Butter Garlic Bread, they go great together)

The dried mixed mushrooms don’t look very appealing in the packet, but they add so much flavour to the dish that you just can’t get from using button mushrooms or chestnut mushrooms alone. They plump up in the sauce and look and feel like normal fresh mushrooms once cooked. Their flavour is so strong that you don’t need to use a lot of them, and as they’re dried, they’ll keep for months in the cupboard.

I buy chunks of fresh parmason from the supermarket when they’re on offer or reduced as they’re going out of date, take them home and put them straight in the freezer. I then grate however much of the frozen cheese I want off the block (it doesn’t freeze solidly, it’s quite easy to grate) then return it to the freezer before it defrosts for next time. Fresh parmason tastes so much better than the dried stuff, but it is pricey. This way you’ll use every last bit of it and really get your money’s worth.

Ready in 30 mins (10 mins prep, 20 mins cooking) – serves two.

Ingredients

• 150g of pasta (I’ve used Fusilli)
• 150ml of double cream
• 150ml of white wine
• 1 free range egg
• 25g of grated Parmesan cheese
• A drop of truffle oil if you have it, don’t worry if you don’t.
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 small courgette, diced
• 150g of fresh mushrooms, washed and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
• 25g of dried mixed wild mushrooms (you’ll find these in the wholefoods section of the supermarket)
• 1 veg stock cube
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• A good pinch of nutmeg
• A good pinch of oregano

Method

• Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, drain (keep 100mls of the pasta water to one side) and allow to cool.
• Meanwhile, mix the double cream, white wine, egg, parmesan and truffle oil, if using, in a jug. – Pic 1
• Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and add the fresh mushrooms and courgette. Cook until soft but not browned then add the dried mushrooms, garlic and crumble in the stock cube. – Pic 2
• Cook for 5 mins then add the cream mixture. – Pic 3
• Simmer for 5 mins, stirring often, then add the cooked pasta, pasta water, black pepper, nutmeg and oregano. – Pic 4
• Simmer for a few mins, stirring often so everything is combined and hot then serve.

Not a fan of courgette? Try sliced red pepper instead, or stir in a few handfuls of fresh spinach just before you serve.